


(i saw an) angel

by sofsomi



Series: trees will bloom, ice will melt [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Fluff, Growing Up Together, Light Angst, Long-Distance Friendship, M/M, Nostalgia, and they get all blushy and happy, they meet again in a train
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:27:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21983653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sofsomi/pseuds/sofsomi
Summary: "faces merge and change,but your face remains the same"renjun is on his way to campus, until he meets a certain childhood friend.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Mark Lee
Series: trees will bloom, ice will melt [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582486
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	(i saw an) angel

Huang Renjun lifts his head up as he squints his eyes in confusion, taking in the scene in front of him. It was Tuesday morning and he’s on the train for his usual commute to campus. Granted, it was too early and he only wishes to go back to the comforts of his own bed and sleep until the afternoon. But alas, he has a full day in the studio to work on his painting for midterms. He has no time to dilly-dally.

If he finishes ahead of his personal deadline, then he would grant himself a wish to plop onto his soft bed and fall into a deep slumber.

Sounds like a good plan.

Renjun smiles to himself with the idea, moving away from the sun’s glare as Han River flashes before his eyes. He studies the people around him. The high school students that whispered fervently about a crush that they have, college students that have their notes out, reading through it and closing their eyes as they mouth what they just memorized and there are the working adults and senior citizens who are snoring softly as they sleep their worries away.

Renjun likes to take the train. He loves to see different people in their own little worlds, cramped in a gigantic metal heap bringing them to their own destinations. Sometimes, he’s able to spot something precious and pure, delicate to the touch. Like, a little boy playing with dolls and his father smiles at him fondly or, how two high school girls scramble to stand up and let an old lady have a seat, and the old lady gives them each a candy out of gratitude.

Little moments like those are wonderful. Sometimes, he finds himself sketching people from memory. He wishes the world could be so quiet and peaceful, just like his mornings on the train.

He realizes that he has been staring at the floor for quite some time, noticing the strain from his neck. He slowly lifts his stare from the floor and locks eyes with a stranger.

It isn’t rare for anyone to lock eyes with a stranger for a second or two but this stranger isn’t a stranger after all. Well, he might as well be, for the amount of time that they had been distant from each other. But, it was odd. A good feeling of odd, Renjun thinks. He certainly hopes so.

The stranger is a childhood friend of his. Lee Minhyung. It had been years since they had last talked or seen each other.

They used to be neighbors and he could vividly remember how they played all day and night. When Minhyung got into middle school, they had to move to Canada because his father had a job opportunity. They tried to talk like they used to, agreed to talk at least thrice a week. It was easy, it was fun until Minhyung and Renjun became too busy.

Thrice a week became twice, twice became once, until they didn’t even bother to message or call anymore.

It had become a series of “how are you” or “I hope you’re doing well” conversations that it piled up and they just grew out of each other's lives.

They became too preoccupied with their own, they barely had the same interests and it just didn’t make sense to talk anymore.

So, they stopped.

Renjun didn’t think that he’d see Minhyung again. He figured that he would continue to live in Canada, maybe pursue his passion for music or something ambitious.

Minhyung was like that. He had dreams that reached the heavens.

So, when he sees Minhyung at the other end of the train car, he’s stunned.

He feels as if time stopped and they were back to being kids again, running on the lawn, making incoherent noises that mimicked that of a tyrannosaurus rex or a pterodactyl.

He changed. Of course, he did. He still resembled the same kid he played with, but he was taller and did he become more handsome? That was unfair of him. His smile could rival a thousand stars and his would still be the prettiest.

_Wait, what?_

Minhyung wears this disbelief look as his face cracks with a wide smile. Renjun wonders if he could open the emergency exit and run away from the boy due to his awkward social skills.

But, Minhyung is right in front of him before he could even process what's happening.

After so many years, Minhyung is finally in Korea and he’s smiling from ear-to-ear.

“Renjun?” He sounds uncertain, shy. Just like the Minhyung he remembered. Despite the confident air around him, he still seems rather timid and that's cute.

“Yeah, hyung. It’s me.” Renjun replies.

Mark exclaims, baffled. “I didn’t expect to see you. How’ve you been?” Did Minhyung’s eyes sparkled that much from when they were kids? Hm. He can’t seem to remember.

He knows it. Minhyung knows it, too. As they spoke, it was definitely awkward, different from how they used to be. It seems different but at the same time, it seems like nothing had changed at all.

“I’ve been good, hyung. Actually, I’m on my way to campus.”

“Really? What do you major in?”

Renjun shrugs. “Fine arts, major in painting.”

Minhyung’s mouth is ajar as he pulls himself together by shaking his head, “Oh my God, Renjun, that sounds amazing! Do you know I still keep some of your drawings up on my wall?”

“C-come on, hyung. It’s not nice to lie like that.” Renjun scoffs and softly punches Minhyung’s arm out of embarrassment.

He recalls how excited Minhyung was when he was a kid. Renjun remembers the thousands of papers he consumed by either drawing, painting, making origami and the like.

Minhyung had always been fascinated with Renjun’s artistic inclination so whenever he felt like it, he would ask Renjun to draw him something that he likes. Like, the beetle they first caught together or the frog that seemed too big for his size.

The older boy didn’t forget to compliment him with each of his works, brushing Renjun’s hair fondly and giving him the biggest smile he could muster.

“I’m not lying, Renjun! But, that’s incredible. Good for you!”

“How about you, hyung? When did you come back?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry I didn’t get to contact you. I was afraid that you’d change numbers or that you would be too busy that I’d be disturbing you. Uh,” he stutters. “Well, I came back four years ago actually?” Minhyung winces as he waits for Renjun’s reply but he continues when he didn’t say anything.

“I wanted to finish my studies here, so I did. I’m actually on my way to work.”

Renjun doesn't believe what he's hearing. Honestly, he understands why Minhyung didn’t contact him. Sure, it sounded like excuses: changing numbers, being busy.

Most of all, they grew apart. He wanted to add that in the list of “Why I wasn’t able to contact you when I got here in Korea four years ago” but he decided not to. If he were in Minhyung’s position, he would say the same thing too.

He waves his hand off, “Doesn’t matter, you know? I’m glad you’re back. I never expected to see you again, but here we are.”

Minhyung smiles in relief, “Here we are.”

“So, what do you do, hyung? Finally pursued music?”

Minhyung rubs his nape bashfully, looking away as he blushes. A usual habit that he does. “Yeah, you could say that?” He chuckles, “I’m a producer in an independent studio. W-well, I’m still a beginner, none of my work is out yet. It’s still in a work-in-progress, so.”

Renjun’s eyes are wide with fascination, “T-that’s great? Wow, hyung!” Out of glee, Renjun brings Minhyung into a warm (yet, painfully awkward) embrace, giving him a pat in the back was the cherry on top of his embarrassing attempt to be physically warm.

“You have to let me listen to your songs one day, okay?”

Minhyung giggles, “Of course, I would love that.”

They stand in silence, smiling at each other. Renjun thought he would be spending his morning like the usual. Half asleep, half awake, smiling fondly at the little moments he sees in the train.

He didn’t think he’d meet a childhood friend that he lost contact for years and actually have a real conversation with him.

It’s nice.

A nice feeling.

“I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do, Jun-ah.” He didn’t think he’d hear that nickname from him again. Minhyung says it so naturally, with his Canadian accent peeking out and it was cute, endearing even.

Renjun catches himself staring at Minhyung.

It had been years since they last saw each other. He could remember when they cried as they spent their last sleepover together in Renjun’s room. Promising how they would call each other every single day or plan how Minhyung would come back for Christmas and stay until the New Year’s.

None of their plans or their promises lasted long, but Renjun was grateful to see the boy again. He feels as though his heart is full and he was just fond.

Fond of the moment.

Fond of him.

Minhyung notices his stare and chuckles softly, “What?” He asks.

“It’s really you, hyung.”

“Yeah, I can’t believe it’s you either, Renjun.”

Renjun beams as he hears the familiar voice of a woman, announcing that his stop was up next, “M-my stop’s really close now. Maybe we can grab coffee together later?”

“Sounds like a great idea.”

Minhyung smiles the softest smile and Renjun knows that the boy that he lost from years ago, has finally come back. He feels strange. Happy. He hasn’t felt like this in a while. He’s glad.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! welcome to my first series, and it's markren! each work can be read individually but it is all connected to one plot. anyway, i had been pondering how cute markren is and seeing them together again sbs gayo daejun 2019 really pulled my heartstrings, you know? i loved the way renjun looked at mark and vice versa :') anyway, it's all about the fluff for this but i also plan to input some light angst into the future. i love their dynamics okay! hope you enjoyed the first of my series!
> 
> ps please listen to april sky by ten towers, it helped me think of the title for the series "trees will bloom, ice will melt", because their meeting in this story felt as though it had been winter (like, how long they've been apart) but spring comes in and everything just blooms bc they're together again, you know? :') and for the title of the first is from angel by nct 127.
> 
> pps i also want to apologize if there are any grammar or technical mistakes, English isn't my first language but i'm trying my best!
> 
> [twitter](http://twitter.com/haechios) | [carrd](http://dream-run.carrd.co)


End file.
